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precis please. [/quote]
Doc, you are excused. My comment wasn't for you.

So does that mean I can paint it without and adverse effects?

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Mokesta, you'll have to do better than that....

You can paint the tank or not, it won't matter.
I wouldn't paint the core, beyond the mist coat of black that radiator shops put on them.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Well they don't paint the new age aluminium radiator cores if they can help it either...

Mind you, the older copper cores would look pretty crap with the lead solder and flux marks and the fact that it would turn green after a while. Even the top tank can look pretty ordinary bare unless there's been a neat job of soldering it on.
If there was any reason for painting a radiator, this would be it, and if you were going to choose a colour, then black would probably be the best case for the technical reasoning above.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

thanks guys.

I really only wanted to paint the tanks anyway. They are now painted gold and the core is bare copper.

Will the core go green if I dont paint it? And is bare copper better at radiating heat than copper that is painted black?

what I am getting at is, in painting the core black am I also insulating it and reducing its ability to radiate heat?

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It depends what you paint it with. Anything beyond a thin mist coat will reduce heat transfer. I would NOT use enamel, it piles on too thick.
My choice would be a can of VHT brand black acrylic.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Use whatever the matterial requires to promote heat transfer. Remember you are heating the air no cooling the coolant, the coolant is only the transfer medium for the heat to leave the system - you also want to keep some of it in the system.

The harder it is for the heat to leave the more power you loose.

Copper is different beasty and you need the paint to stop the insulating oxidising layer you get on copper which insulates - unless you want to spend your life polishing the thing. So the correct paint in small amounts promotes heat exchange on copper.

Way back about 20years when I was looking and making some solar panels (had them made in the end) I found out the best surface treatment for solar collectors was a chemical reaction that made the copper black (hydrogen sulphide I think - may be wrong but) That way there is no insulation effect of the paint. More fiddly - thats why the commercial units are painted

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

Rheem (and most other) copper sheet and tube solar collector panels these days are not painted, they are plated with a black `selective surface'. This admits solar heat in at a much higher rate than it radiates it.
Not much good for a radiator though!

<edit> I know this `coz I've worked at Rheem's factory for 30+ years.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

paint it on backwards

Look,,, it really doesn`t matter what colour you paint your radiator, that`s got virtually nothing to do with it`s abilty to cool your engine,---> "IF" your engine heats up to the point where it runs "TOO" hot, then rest assured that it won`t be the paint that`s causing it & there will be another dam good reason why it`s running hot,

that`s a fact!!! so paint it whatever colour you like, leave it unpainted & even pollish it if you want, it`s a matter of whatever you think "LOOKS" good, because your mini just simply won`t over heat "BECAUSE" you`ve given it a light coat of paint

the only way that i can see paint on a radiator to "CAUSE" problems is if you coat it so many times that you block the fin air area & that would just obviously be stoopid

& anyways, there`s not many radiators out there that can cool as good as my alloy ones & i don`t paint them either

sorry, but crickey, all this mumbo jumbo about what colour cools better & such just eats me up, what`s a degree or 2 btween friends hey?

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

Mokesta?

I Here You Matt

If you are worried about the colour of the Paint regarding to the Rention or Exposure to Heat you have bigger problems in your Cooling System

Its not the roof of your car

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Stop Licking the Dog...I Don't Care Who Started It

A lot of people say that the radiator on a Mini is only just up to the job of cooling a Mini. If the colour of the paint can make only a degree or two difference why would you not take advantage of it?